Bilateral Pneumothorax Following Air Bag Deployment

Affiliations: From the Department of General Surgery, Allegheny University Hospitals, Hahnemann Division, Philadelphia,
From the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Allegheny University Hospitals, Hahnemann Division, Philadelphia

Abstract

Air bags have been shown to decrease mortality from automobile accidents. Herein is a unique case of bilateral pneumothorax following deployment and rupture of an air bag with no other associated chest trauma. One may posit that rupture of the air bag allowed high-pressure gases to be expelled into the patient's lungs resulting in explosive barotrauma.

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